Roman Sionis (New Earth)
Catwoman interfered in Black Mask's plans, stealing money from him and giving it to the poor, and injuring many of his men. Black Mask decided he wanted to remove the problem, and so found an old friend of Selina Kyle's, Sylvia Sinclair, who was working in the Gotham mobs. She revealed Catwoman's secret identity to him, and he began a campaign of terror against her. He blew up the new youth center she had endowed with the stolen money, hounded her, and kidnapped her sister and brother-in-law. Black Mask tortured Catwoman's brother-in-law brutally in front of her sister, and then made the woman eat pieces of her husband's corpse. Catwoman arrived to find her brother-in-law dead, her sister insane, and her friend Holly on the verge of being tortured. She attacked Black Mask, and the two of them fought across his penthouse. At the end of the battle, Black Mask fell from the top of the building, leaving everyone to assume he was dead. The Unseen Black Mask became obsessed with obtaining the ability to turn invisible. He stated that it was the ultimate mask. To this end he funded Niles Glass research on a Translux invisibility serum. Glass successfully turned himself invisible, but then went on a revenge killing spree and almost killed Black Mask. He was rescued by Batman and the serum was lost. Black Mask's fascination with invisibility would continue in his legacy, the second Black Mask. War Games When Tim Drake quit his role as Robin in War Games, Batman chose Stephanie Brown, aka The Spoiler, to replace him. Batman quickly discovered that her lack of focus and inability to follow orders made her a danger to herself and others, and fired her. Desperate to prove herself, she took one of Batman's contingency plans and set it into action with the intent of shepherding it to a successful conclusion. The plan was to get all of Gotham's crime lords under the control of Orpheus, an agent of Batman, and therefore under the control of Batman himself. The plan failed because Spoiler was unaware that a key contact with the crime lords, Matches Malone, was actually another alter ego of Batman himself. When "Matches Malone" did not appear as expected, the tension at the meeting accidentally degenerated into a firefight, leaving many dead and wounded. This created a power vacuum that quickly erupted into a brutal gang war on the streets of Gotham. In War Games Act Two, Spoiler sought Orpheus, believing that if she could enlist his help there might still be a chance to bring the plan to some sort of successful conclusion. As she finished telling Orpheus his role in the plan, Black Mask murdered him by slitting his throat in front of Spoiler. He then tortured Spoiler for the rest of information on the plan. Black Mask assumed Orpheus' identity, using face putty and padding, (as seen in 'Batman: War Games, Act Three') fooling even Batman and Onyx. As Orpheus he fanned the flames of the crisis, driving Gotham's criminal element into a bloodthirsty, destructive mob seeking to kill any member or associate of the Batman Family. He then returned to torture Spoiler for his own enjoyment only to find that she had escaped. Black Mask soon tracked her down again and they fought. Spoiler managed to overcome Black Mask and get away, but was left with severe internal injuries. Black Mask then infiltrated Oracle's Clocktower in an attempt to expose her to the criminal mob. Batman attacked him in a blind rage and Oracle, fearful for Batman's life, was forced to activate a self-destruct device in the tower to get Batman to save her. In the end, the Spoiler supposedly died due to the injuries inflicted on her and the willful negligence of Leslie Thompkins (although a recent retcon establishes that Stephanie's death had been faked). Black Mask then rose to become the overlord of the Gotham underworld. Allied with reporter Arturo Rodriguez, Black Mask began a campaign to discredit Batman. While Rodriguez slammed Batman in the press, Black Mask committed a series of murders disguised as Batman. This plan was complicated by the arrival of the Joker. Black Mask was intent on killing the Clown Prince of Crime and framing Batman for it, but the Joker wanted to kill Black Mask, because he robbed him of the opportunity to kill another Robin. The two nearly killed each other before Batman intervened. Batman eventually exposed Rodriguez and finally managed to capture Black Mask. However, while being taken to jail, he managed to kill the escorting officer and escape again. ]] Death The assassin Deathstroke later approached Black Mask offering him a place within The Society. Eager to strengthen his increasingly tenuous grip on the underworld (Batman and the new Red Hood had both been targeting his operations), he accepted, and Captain Nazi, one of the Hyenas, and Count Vertigo were sent after Batman and Red Hood. However, these villains were defeated, and Batman ultimately prevented the Society from securing a foothold in Gotham. In an attempt to "improve himself" after this debacle, Black Mask threatened the most important people in Catwoman's life, from Slam Bradley to Holly Robinson. Still thinking that she adhered to a strict no-kill rule, Black Mask was caught by surprise when Catwoman retaliated by shooting him in the head and blowing off his jaw, killing him. After the shooting, Selina Kyle passed the mantle of Catwoman to her friend Holly. Not long after, Holly was arrested for Black Mask's murder. Blackest Night ]] During Blackest Night, the original Black Mask, Roman Sionis was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps with a power ring. Black Mask immediately attacked Catwoman in an effort to avenge his death. Not getting the emotional response he wanted from her as he attempted to kill her, Black Mask decided to go after Catwoman's sister, Maggie Kyle, who he had tortured into insanity prior to his death. At the mental hospital, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn manage to intercept Black Mask before he reaches Maggie. Black Mask temporarily defeats Ivy and Harley and proceeds to capture Catwoman and Maggie. Just as he is about to torture Maggie again, Ivy has a giant venus fly trap devour him. The fly trap's digestive acid dissolves Black Mask's body, and when the body is reanimated by the Black Lantern ring, it is dissolved once again, trapping Black Mask in a perpetual cycle presumed to last until the Blackest Night is over.Catwoman (Volume 3) #83 DCnU Sionis' death has recently been erased from the timeline. It is revealed that after being shot by Catwoman, he staggered to Arkham, willingly turning himself in and begging to be treated. Detective Comics Vol 2 9 He had attempted a hunger strike to try and regain his mask, but to no avail. He meets with Doctor Arkham, asking for the return of his mask and recounting their shared time as Black Mask. The Talon attack the Asylum soon after, Arkham commanding Roman to mind control the inmates to attack the assassins and to keep anyone from entering his safe room. In return, he receives the mask, Sionis once again becoming Black Mask. He is quickly defeated by Batman. | Recommended = * Batman: War Games * Batman: Broken City * Batman: Under the Hood * Catwoman (Volume 3) | Powers = Mind Control: Roman has been shown, with his mask, the ability to control the weak minded in Arkham Asylum. He is able to control all of the inmates with ease and almost controlled the Batman. The mind control easily stops with a blow to the face. Detective Comics Vol 2 9 | Abilities = Criminal Mastermind: Black Mask is arguably the greatest criminal strategist and organiser in Gotham, having taken almost full control of the city's underworld on at least two occasions. * Business Management * Tactical Analysis Torture Master: Perhaps Black Mask's most defining skill is his mastery of both physical and psychological torture, which he often uses either to extract information, or simply to torment his enemies. He has been shown using a variety of crude, sharp-edged weapons, as well as the use of everyday objects including kitchen knives, steel pipes, and electricity cords which he slowly drips with water causing mild electric shocks. Expert in torture techniques of 14th century. Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Black Mask is a highly accomplished athlete and hand to hand combatant who has been shown fighting on par with the likes of Nightwing, The Red Hood, Robin, Catwoman, and even Batman himself on at least one occasion. He has also shown skill as an acrobat and dancer when impersonating Batman and Orpheus. Marksman: Roman Sionis is an excellent marksman who always carries at least two semi-automatic handguns. He has proven capable of hitting highly nimble athletes (like Jason Todd and Catwoman) in mid-air with relatively little effort and has also shot mid-flight batarangs away from himself. Master of Disguise: Black Mask seems to be a formidable master of disguise as well as a highly gifted actor, as he was able to fool even the deductive skills of batman when disguised as Orpheus, and also led almost all of Gotham to believe he was Batman when donning his suit. He most often uses face putty or plastic masks to hide his skull-head and look like someone else. * Acting * Investigation Peak Physical Conditioning: Black Mask's physical attributes of strength, speed, stamina, agility and endurance seem to be on par with many extremely fit individuals. His healing and recovery speed is also remarkable, suggesting he possesses a very fast metabolism. * Acrobatics * Dancing * Mimicry | Strength = | Weaknesses = Criminal Insanity | Equipment = Ebony death mask which is now burnt to face in the form of a skull. Various torture tools and devices, including special chemical which he used in his early career to kill or disfigure others by placing it on their faces. | Transportation = | Weapons = Various Weapons: Two semi-automatic handguns. Periodically makes use of knives, machine guns, explosives, and just about anything he can get his hands on. | Notes = | Trivia = | DC = | Wikipedia = Black Mask (comics) | Links = * Black Mask at the DCU Guide }} Category:Mental Illness Category:Enhanced Intellect Category:Tactical Analysis Category:Weaponry Category:Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced) Category:Firearms Category:Acting Category:Investigation Category:Acrobatics Category:Dancing Category:Disguise Category:Mimicry Category:Business Management Category:Arkham Asylum inmates Category:Crimelords Category:Black Lantern Corps members Category:1985 Character Debuts